


New Family

by Rae_Heartbreak



Series: A Silent Plea [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Bat Brothers, Bat Family, Batfamily Feels, Jason Todd Has Issues, Mute Jason Todd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 17:30:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18665065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rae_Heartbreak/pseuds/Rae_Heartbreak
Summary: Jason Todd was finally adjusting to life in Wayne Manor, but Bruce ruined it by bringing home an injured acrobat. Mentally scarred and mute, how will Jason react?





	New Family

It was mid afternoon when Bruce finally came back from whatever business he had to attend to. Jason didn’t much care, he was content to stay in his room and read. Since it was the middle of summer, there was plenty of time to be by himself and ignore the world around him. Honestly, Jason enjoyed being able to lower his awareness. Being high strung just led to images of damp alleys and glinting metal. With a shiver, Jason shook his head and pushed the images away. Now was not the time to think about his insecurities and short comings.

The deep voice of Bruce rang through the house, relaxing Jason’s shoulders without his consent. Darn that man and his ability to make him feel at ease. "Jason, come over here and meet the newest family member."

The black-haired teen blinked and walked down stairs feeling confused. Bruce hadn't said anything before about new family members, and Jason Todd was  _not_ about to share his bedroom, no thank you. He was happy by himself and there was no need for anyone else. Of course, these thoughts were pushed away when Jason saw who else had come home.

When Jason reached the bottom of the stairs, he was surprised to see his older "brother" Damian at the house. Last month Damian had stormed out angry about something but not saying what it was. If Jason tried to ask, all he got in response was a quick "Bat-business" before getting shoved away. This and the fact that Jason hated to socialize were the reasons why he didn't want any more family members that Bruce decided to bring home. He was just getting used to being open with his current family members, any more and Jason would be overwhelmed.

However, it was too late to run back to his room. Bruce caught sight of Jason and smiled, waving him over. Dragging his feet over to the gathering, Jason had to pause when he finally spotted his new "brother". The kid was a shaking mess, pain, and fear evident on his face. There was a bandage peeking above his shirt and a full knee brace on his right leg. Of course, the worst thing was the kid reminded Jason of himself.

Images flood Jason's mind. The cold streets with snow falling around him. His parents driving away and the mean looking caretaker grabbing his hand. Later when he was older, running away from the bullies wanting to beat him up for protecting a little girl. Lastly, Batman finding him in an ally way, barely holding onto life. Too much. Everything was suddenly too much. Feeling him self start to panic, Jason quickly turned away and headed back to his room, making sure to slam the door. He tried to ignore the startled yelp and the sound of the kid crying. Jason also definitely did  _not_ hear Bruce commenting, "It's alright Dick, you didn't do anything wrong." Instead, the teen pulled a blanket over his head and waited for the shaking to stop.

**=====**

Later in the evening Jason's  _locked_  door is picked and opened by Damian. When the young adult made his way over to Jason, the teen ignored him with the desperate hope that he would be left alone. However, he was forced to pay attention when Damian placed a gentle hand on Jason's shoulder, demanding the teen's attention. Jason rolled over, ready ask his brother to leave but paused when he realized what Damian was holding... or rather whom. Asleep on Damian's shoulder was Dick, tear tracks obvious in the moonlight streaming in.

A sigh brushing past his lips, Jason allows himself to take a good look at his older brother. Knowing that he was in the wrong, Jason did feel guilty about making the kid cry. However, he had his reasons and Damian knew them better than many other people. Jason sat up and ran a hand through his messy hair, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to say. Only when he had performed the actions in his mind did Jason lift his hand for speech.

"Look, I know that I reacted poorly this afternoon, and I’m sorry, alright? It’s just… Bruce didn’t give any warning and I panicked. It took me a whole month before I looked you in the eye, let alone communicated with anyone. Is it really smart for me to be around a healing kid?"

Damian’s glare softened, understanding what his little brother was trying to convey. After waiting to see if Jason was finished talking, Damian gave his response. Making sure to not to disturb his precious cargo, the young adult whispered, but since he was distracted, he never noticed the subtle shift that Dick made, woken up by the gentle voice.

"Dick needs a home and Bruce was kind enough to give him one. I know that it's hard for you to trust people after what had happened on the streets, but Dick needs the comfort. Looking back on my own past, I can understand your hesitance, but I think you’ll be fine. Give it a try, and you might be surprised how easy it is to let Dick in. Sometimes all a person needs is a fresh start at life and this is the perfect opportunity for both of you to heal.”

Blinking back unwelcome tears, Jason’s hand reaches up to touch a thin, pale line across his neck. He poorly suppresses a shudder as the sound of a cold laugh and the glint of metal flashing in his mind's eye. Until a small, lightly calloused hand touches his cheek, Jason hadn't even realized that he had started crying. Looking down into the blue eyes of Dick, Jason's shoulders shake with unheard sobs. He gently pulls Dick into a hug. Maybe Damian was right. Maybe it was time to let the past go and allow himself to heal…

=====

About a month had passed since the midnight talk with Damian. Despite his previous misgivings, Jason found that he was warming up rather well with the kid that Bruce had brought home. Luckily, using sign language didn't bother Dick, in fact, he was the most fluent in the family. In the circus, one of the performers had been hard of hearing. Through observation and conversations, the acrobat had picked the skill up. Jason discovered that recently his life had been filled with more smiles and laughter. Of course, it couldn’t last.

One night, it happened. Jason had just managed to fall back asleep from one of his nightmares when a piercing scream broke through the house. Instantly the black-haired teen knew who the screamer was and the reason for it. Night terrors had finally found Dick, and they weren't being very kind. Hearing the footsteps pound down the hall, Jason guessed that Bruce, Alfred and possibly Damian knew what was happening as well. Not wanting to get in the way, the silent teen shifted in his bed and tried to ignore the sobbing... as well as trying to ignore his own memory betraying him, reminding the teen of his own rough transition.

The first week, Jason covered his head with his pillow.

The second week he stayed awake in his bed, staring at his ceiling.

The third week Jason cried along with Dick.

After a month of hearing his brother's night terrors, Jason's own terrors started again...

=====

 _The rain was pounding on the ground, creating puddles in the worn-down alley. Jason huddled closer to his corner behind the dumpster, trying to stay warm. A foot splashed in a nearby puddle and Jason froze, wary of anyone that would be out in this weather._   _Hoping that the man would pass by, Jason tried to quiet his fears ignore the newcomer._

_Suddenly, a chilling laugh echoed over the breaks, makes a tingle run up Jason's spine. Not one to hush his instincts, the homeless teen tensed, ready to shoot off at a moment's notice. Moving away from the corner, Jason cursed inside his head as his foot kicked a glass bottle, causing it to roll and hit the metal of the dumpster._

_At first, nothing happened, then a pale face loomed in the darkness, smiling coldly at Jason. With a flash of lightning illuminating the alley, the scared teen could see who his attacker was. Jason gasped and tried to run, getting caught instantly. The man was Tony Zuko, a known mob boss and not afraid to injure or even kill children. Apparently he had been bored and decided to prey on the less fortunate of Gotham City that evening._

_Glinting silver in another streak of light across the sky, Zuko's knife was a blur as the thin figure opened and sliced the blade towards Jason's neck in one fluid motion. He felt the slice and instantly a warm, sticky liquid was coating everything. A small_ shink  _sounded, and a Batarang knocked the knife out of the attacker's hand. Zuko ran, but all Jason could feel was his body growing cold..._

_All he could see was a looming shadow above him..._

_All he could hear was a deep voice that Jason for some reason trusted..._

_"Jason, come on. Wake up... please! Jason! You have to WAKE UP!"_

=====

Jason jerked up in bed, breathing hard with sweat falling down his face. His chest was heaving with silent gasps and his whole body was shaking. Bruce was above him, looking worried, his hands still pinning Jason's arms to the bed. Damian was holding Dick in the background, both of them looking nervous. Biting his lip to fight back tears, Jason struggled to free himself. Bruce released the teen and Jason instantly sat up, clinging to Bruce as both a hug and a lifeline. This alone probably worried Bruce because Jason avoided physical contact whenever possible. However, right now, in this moment the terrified ward needed the reminder that he was NOT back in the ally, NOT bleeding out and NOT alone.

With quivering hands, Jason explained what had happened, some signs barely understood with his extreme shaking. By the end of it, Dick was out of Damian's arms and climbing into Jason's bed to give his big brother a hug. Jason wasn't even ashamed when he clung to Dick like a lifeline, rocking back and forth. He hadn't been plagued by a night terror like this in a long time. If he was being honest, Jason had hoped that he was done with them when he realized that there hadn't been a terror for a month straight. Of course, life had to prove him wrong and this night was an excellent example.

=====

Bruce sighed and looked at his two sons. It pained him to see them suffering from night terrors and not being able to do anything about it. When Dick had his first night terror, Bruce woke up instantly and rushed to the young boy's side, but he couldn't help being reminded of Jason. He also had a sneaking suspicion that Jason was starting to relapse with his mental health during the nights. Of course, the yawning and dark bags helped the detective side of Bruce with that one. Tonight's episode assured Bruce that the possible session with a trusted psychiatrist was needed... for both of his sons. He would have to call Canary in the morning.

Focusing on the task at hand, Bruce couldn't help but give a soft smile. The two black haired boys were asleep on Jason's bed, breathing softly. Dick was snuggled into Jason, curled into a small ball and Jason had his arms wrapped around Dick protectively, a slight smile on his relaxed face. Another tired sigh brushed past Bruce's lips as he softly closed Jason's door. No matter how hard it was to see his sons hurting inside, he knew that they would be alright. It might take months or even years, but he would support them the whole way.

**Author's Note:**

> Right now, I have this as a one shot. However, I have more written to continue this fic is you guys so desire


End file.
